This research was supported by the CREST project of the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), for which M.F. is the principal investigator. L: 1,2-bis[2-(pyridin-4-yl)ethynyl]benzene.

Abstract

Living in a box: The dynamic self-assembly of Pd4L8 and Pd3L6 (L=1,2-bis[2-(pyridin-4-yl)ethynyl]benzene) box-shaped structures is controlled by the solvent (see picture; Pd yellow, C, N blue, H gray). The two structures can be interconverted reversibly and repeatedly by simply switching the medium between DMSO (Pd4L8) and MeCN/DMSO (Pd3L6).